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The Philadelphia 76ers were smoked out of the Moda Center on Sunday night, as the Portland Trail Blazers got off to a strong start and trounced them 129-95 in a game that was wrapped up by halftime. The Blazers carved up a lead as big as 43 points at one point, yet Sixers forward Jimmy Butler wasn't sweating this road loss.
“The entire game we played with low energy, myself included,” Butler said, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “The good part about it is that it’s only one game and we can fix it.”
The eighth-year veteran had his share of struggle, finishing with just five points on 2-of-12 shooting. Butler missed his first seven shot attempts, as he didn't make his first basket until finishing a driving floater with 4:08 left in the second quarter to pull the Sixers within 21 points (59-38).
Shooting guard J.J. Redick also struggled to hit, as he had 11 points despite making just 3-of-11 from the floor, missing five of his seven 3-pointers.
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“Shots didn’t fall for Jimmy or JJ,” said Ben Simmons, who had a team-high 19 points. “If you ask him, I know he’s going to say he had a terrible game. It happens. Unfortunately, it was JJ and Jimmy who weren’t knocking down shots — two of our best guys on the floor.”
Philly played without Joel Embiid, a sorely missed absence, considering he's a walking double-double this season and a strong presence on the defensive end.
“So it means other guys need to step up,” he said of the role players. “I think it’s one of those games where guys didn’t step up.”
The Sixers are 5-5 in their last 10 games and are in danger of sliding out of the top-four, with the Boston Celtics slowly gaining ground and teams like the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks making a push for the top spot.
